BIRTHDAY PROGRAM OF HIS HOLINESS THE GYALWANG DRUKPA & HIS EMINENCE DRUKPA THUKSEY RINPOCHE7-14 February 2019

An elaborated long life program between 7 and 13 February 2019 will be arranged by monks of Druk Sangag Choeling Monastery in Darjeeling, under the guidance of His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche. This will coincide with the lunar birthday of both His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, marking a special time for coming together as a community, and expressing our sincere and positive wishes. During the long life program, both His Holiness and His Eminence will jointly give a five-day teaching on Guru Devotion.

In our tradition, Long Life Ceremonies can help boost our Gurus’ well-being and longevity in this world. Not only is this profound way to express our deep gratitude to our teachers, it is an opportunity for students to purify their mistakes and grow a deeper bond with their Gurus, whose blessings can then strengthen and extend throughout time. When done with devotion and in harmony with other Dharma students and participants, these prayers will fortify Samaya connections, and are even known to prolong one’s own life.

MAKING SENSE OF DEVOTION

Teaching by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche9-13 February 2019

Many great masters have said, “Devotion is the path for liberation.” For practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism, Guru Devotion is the most important teaching and practice on the path to realization. So, what is it, exactly? How is it different from the other emotions that we experience? How can we know if our devotion is genuine? It is important to refresh ourselves on its true meaning —especially in present times, when there have been increasing abuses and misunderstandings of devotional practice. During their birthday celebration in February 2019, His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche will teach and answer questions on this vital topic, in addition to leading the prayers requested for their longevity.

A PILGRIMAGE IN SIKKIM

16-17 February 2019

Originally pronounced as Serkhim, meaning "Yellow Household" which implies that the dwellers are all practitioners of Buddhadharma, Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It also known as Denzong, meaning "The Valley of Rice". Legend has it that the 8th century Indian saint, Guru Padmasambhava blessed this land to be filled with the wealth of food, in the form of rice and introduced Buddhism throughout Sikkim and predicted the era of monarchy in the state that would arrive centuries later. According to legend, in the 14th century, Khye Bumsa, a prince from the Minyak House in Kham (Eastern Tibet), had a divine prophesy one night instructing him to travel south to seek his fortunes. His descendants were later to form the royal family of Sikkim. In 1642, the 5th-generation descendant of Khye Bumsa, Phuntsog Namgyal, was enthroned as the first Chogyal (Dharma King) of Sikkim by the 3 venerated Gurus who came from the north, west and south to Yuksom, marking the beginning of the monarchy.

The two day pilgrimage in Sikkim during the holy days of Chotrul Duchen will provide an opportunity for participants to get blessings for fulfilling wishes and eradicating obstacles for the coming year. The pilgrimage program will also include prayers and group practices.

EVENING PRACTICE OF SENGEY TSEWA

Prajna Paramita literally means "Perfection of Wisdom", a central concept in Mahayana Buddhism and its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva path. It was expounded by Lord Buddha during the Second Turning of Dharma.

Sengey Tsewa is a particular practice of Prajna Paramita (the practice of Wisdom). Dakini Machig Labdron offered the teaching of Sengey Tsewa (The Revelry with the Lion) to the Great Omniscient Kunkhyen Pema Karpo (the Fourth Gyalwang Drukpa 1527-1592) through his master Awa Dhutipa. Ever since then, it has been the main practice of many historical yogis of Vajrayana Buddhism.

The benefit of the Sengey Tsewa practice can be catagorized into two parts:

Through the practice of non-attachment towards one's own body, one will be able to free oneself from sufferings such as diseases, unwanted incidences and accumulate merits to eventually attain the form of Buddha (Rupakaya).

Through the practice of non-attachment (Shunyata) towards one's own conceptual thoughts, one will be liberated from the mental distractions and eventually attain the full realization of (Dharmakaya) the complete omniscience (Wisdom of Buddha).

Registration Deadline: 10th January 2019

Preparation Practice

His Holiness has advised that each registrant should accumulate recitation of 10,000 Vajra Guru Mantra prior to joining the retreat. Recitation of 10,000 Vajra Guru Mantra is a commitment for each registrant. If you can recite more, it would be an encouragement to all the masters leading the teaching retreat. We thank you in advance. Submit your mantra count at the beginning of the teaching retreat. A monk/nun will be going around getting the count from you. We have prepared a mantra counting sheet to assist all registrants in recording the recitation count. Please click the above button to download counting sheet. Below is the recommended sequence of practice for each session of mantra recitation.